Chicagoland book club: 'Cuttin' edge'

December 10, 2009

One thing to know about our book club: The group has been in existence for 11 years; it started as a play group that turned into a book club. Many of the original members have seen one another’s kids grow from babies to college freshmen. The group usually hovers around 12 members (each member hosting one night a year!). We call ourselves the “Cuttin’ Edge,” a name that one member came up with on the fly when asked by our local library to give our group a name, and it has stuck.

Author we’d most like to meet: We rarely all agree on anything, so we have four authors we’d most like to meet: Ann Patchett, Anna Quindlen, Phillipa Gregory and Stieg Larsson.

Worst excuse anyone’s given for not reading an assigned book: See previous answer. We couldn’t come up with just one: “I don’t read fiction,” “I went into labor,” “I’m on sabbatical” and “I’m overwhelmed with my life right now.” We have a loser fund ($5 into the pot if you don’t read the book) that has been put to some good use over the years. We bought an oxygen concentrator for an orphanage in China and we donated clothing to Hurricane Katrina victims.

Average time we actually spend talking about a book before conversation swerves off into politics and family issues: 40 minutes

What book is next? “Still Alice,” by Lisa Genova, a realistic fictional account of early-onset Alzheimer’s disease.

Five books we loved: “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” by Stieg Larsson; “Broken for You,” by Stephanie Kallos; “The Help,” by Kathryn Stockett; “Bel Canto,” by Ann Patchet;" “Lay That Trumpet in Our Hands,” by Susan Carol McCarthy.